[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 206 (Friday, October 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60981-60983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26932]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6644-8]


Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of 
EPA Comments

    Availability of EPA comments prepared pursuant to the Environmental 
Review Process (ERP), under Section 309 of the Clean Air Act and 
Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act as amended. 
Requests for copies of EPA comments can be directed to the Office of 
Federal Activities at (202) 564-7167.
    An explanation of the ratings assigned to draft environmental 
impact statements (EISs) was published in FR dated April 04, 2003 (68 
FR 16511).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-J61104-CO Rating EC2, Copper Mountain Resort Trails 
and Facilities Improvements, Implementation, Special Use Permit, White 
River National Forest, Dillon Ranger District, Summit County, CO.

[[Page 60982]]

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding potential 
adverse impacts to water quality, stream function, wetlands and 
wildlife habitats. EPA requested additional information on snowmaking 
source water quality and on-mountain receiving water quality.
    ERP No. D-COE-L59000-AK Rating EC2, King Cove Access Project, 
Provision of a Transportation System between the City of King Cove and 
the Cold Bay Airport, U.S. Army COE Section 10 and 404 Permits 
Issuance, Aleutians East Borough (AEB), Alaska Peninsula, AK.
    Summary: EPA raised environmental concerns that all of the action 
alternatives would result in significant environmental impacts due to 
the dredging and filling of wetlands and the installation of bridges 
and culverts in anadromous fish streams. EPA also raised concerns that 
one of the proposed action alternatives would result in significant 
impacts on sanctuaries, refuges and wilderness areas.
    ERP No. D-FHW-H40176-MO Rating EC2, US 40/61 Bridge Location Study 
Over the Missouri River, Improvement of the Transportation System, 
Section 9 of the Rivers and Harbor Act Permit, and U.S. Army COE 
Section 10 and 404 Permits, Missouri River, St. Charles and St. Louis 
Counties, MO.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the design 
year level of service (LOS) rating of D for all build alternatives. EPA 
further commented on insufficient information regarding the roadway 
approaches to the bridge and impacts to the floodplain.
    ERP No. D-FRC-B05193-CT Rating EC2, Housatonic River Hydroelectric 
Project, Application to Relicense Existing Licenses for Housatonic 
Project No. 2576-022 and the Falls Village Project No. 2597-019, 
Housatonic River Basin, Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield Counties, 
CT.
    Summary: EPA raised environmental concerns about the conditions 
associated with the FERC staff recommended alternative, flow and 
operational recommendations, and the mix of alternatives considered in 
the Draft EIS.
    ERP No. D-FRC-E03011-FL Rating EC2, Tractebel Calypso Pipeline 
Project, Natural Gas Transportation Service for 832,000 dekatherms/day 
(Dth/day) to South Florida, Right-of-Way Grant and U.S. Army COE 
Section 10 and 404 Permits Issuance, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with 
the Bahamas, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, FL.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about potential 
impacts to Florida nearshore corals/hardbottoms and seagrasses and the 
uncertainty of successful Horizontal Directional Drilling crossings. 
EPA requested an improved impact assessment for marine resources, a 
Marine Mitigation Plan, and agency coordination regarding expected use 
conflicts with the Port Everglades Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site 
currently being designated by EPA.
    ERP No. D-IBR-K39080-CA Rating EC2, Mendota Pool 10-Year Exchange 
Agreements, Water Provision to Irrigable Lands, Central Valley Project 
Improvement Act (CVPIA), Fresno and Madera Counties, CA.
    Summary: EPA has environmental concerns with project contributions 
to groundwater and surface water quality degradation, groundwater 
overdraft, and subsidence; effects on actions to resolve agricultural 
drainage problems, and effects on efforts to provide a sustainable and 
reliable irrigation supply. EPA requested additional information 
regarding potential project impacts on the above issues. EPA urged 
consideration of limited land fallowing and other measures to improve 
irrigation water productivity to address the need for a more reliable 
irrigation supply.
    ERP No. D-IBR-K64023-CA Rating LO, Battle Creek Salmon and 
Steelhead Restoration Project, Habitat Restoration in Battle Creek and 
Tributaries, License Amendment Issuance, Implementation, Tehama and 
Shasta Counties, CA.
    Summary: EPA supports the restoration of fisheries habitat and has 
no objections to this project, provided mitigation measures and 
monitoring programs, as described in the draft EIS are implemented.
    ERP No. D-IBR-K64024-CA Rating LO, Lower Santa Ynez River Fish 
Management Plan and Cachuma Project, Biological Opinion for Southern 
Steelhead Trout and Endangered Southern Steelhead Habitat Conditions 
Improvements, Santa Barbara County, CA.
    Summary: EPA supports the restoration of fisheries habitat and has 
no objection to this project, provided mitigation measures and 
monitoring programs, as described in the draft EIS, are implemented.
    ERP No. DS-FTA-C54007-NJ Rating EC2, Newark-Elizabeth Rail Link-
Elizabeth Segment to Document the Social, Economic and Transportation 
Impact of the 5.8 mile Light Rail Transit (LRT) Alignment, Minimal 
Operable Segment 3 (MOS-3), City of Elizabeth, Union County, NJ.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns due to wetlands 
impacts/mitigation and air quality impacts. EPA requested that the 
final EIS contain additional analysis for these issues and appropriate 
mitigation for the impacts.
    ERP No. D1-FHW-F40361-MI Rating EC2, MI-59 Livingston County 
Widening Project between I-96 and U.S. 23, Practical Alternatives and a 
No Build Alternative for Consideration in the Right-of-Way Preservation 
Corridor, Funding, NPDES and U.S. Army COE Section 404 Permits 
Issuance, Livingston County, MI.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with the proposed 
project regarding wetland impacts, stormwater runoff, and invasive 
species control. EPA also commented on alternatives evaluation.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-L61218-ID, Frank Church--River of No Return 
Wilderness (FC-RONRW) Future Management of Land and Water Resources, 
Implementation, Bitterroot, Boise and Nez Perce, Payette and Salmon-
Challis National Forests, ID.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-AFS-L65376-OR, Silvies Canyon Watershed Restoration 
Project, Additional Information concerning Ecosystem Health 
Improvements in the Watershed, Grant and Harney Counties, OR.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-AFS-L65414-ID, Middle Little Salmon Vegetation Management 
Project, Timber Stands Current Condition Improvements, Payette National 
Forest, New Meadows Ranger District, Adam County, ID.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-FHW-D40295-WV, New River Parkway Project, Design, 
Construction and Management, between I-64 Interchanges to Hinton, 
Funding, Raleigh and Summers Counties, WV.
    Summary: EPA has environmental concerns with the preferred 
alternative regarding the significant potential for secondary and 
cumulative impacts to the New River.
    ERP No. F-FHW-J40160-ND, Liberty Memorial Bridge Replacement 
Project, Poor and Deteriorating Structural Rehabilitation or 
Reconstruction, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army COE Section 10 and 404 
Permits Issuance, Missouri River, Bismarck and Mandan, ND.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-FTA-K40241-HI, Oahu Primary Corridor Transportation 
Project,

[[Page 60983]]

Improvements from Kapolei in the west to the University of Hawaii-Manoa 
and Waikiki in the east, Funding, City and County of Honolulu.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-JUS-K99007-CA 14-Mile Border Infrastructure System 
Completion along the United States and Mexico Border, Areas I, V and 
VI, Pacific Ocean to just east of Tin Can Hill, San Diego County, CA.
    Summary: EPA raised continuing environmental objections with the 
proposed project because it could result in significant environmental 
degradation to waters of the United States. EPA continues to believe 
that additional opportunities may exist to avoid and reduce the 
project's adverse impacts to aquatic resources protected under the 
Clean Water Act Section 404 (CWA); and intends to work with the 
Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to 
identify such opportunities during the CWA Section 404 permit process.
    ERP No. F-NOA-L91011-AK, Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Stock, Federal 
Actions Associated with the Management and Recovery, Implementation, 
Cook Inlet, AK.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. FB-AFS-J65287-UT, Long Deer Vegetation Management Project, 
South Spruce Ecosystem Rehabilitation Project, Implementation, Dixie 
National Forest, Cedar City Ranger District, Iron and Kane Counties, 
UT.
    Summary: EPA continues to express environmental concerns with the 
range of alternatives, ecosystem characterization and fuel loading, 
roads and habitat fragmentation. EPA recommended that the interactions 
between and goals of (1) reforestation, (2) fuel reduction and (3) 
aspen regeneration be considered.

    Dated: October 21, 2003.
Ken Mittelholtz,
Environmental Protection Specialist, NEPA Compliance Division.
[FR Doc. 03-26932 Filed 10-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P